Lisa Marie Smith Thailand Are you ready to go down the looking glass? Today we continue our story of how a girl born in Melbourne, Australia, ends up on an international most wanted list.
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How did Lisa Marie Smith live for years in plain sight, undetected by global law enforcement?
Lisa Marie Smith Thailand
After she jumped bail and fled Thailand, she was described by Interpol in 1998 as the world’s most wanted woman. Which is a bit ridiculous.
Towards the end of the 20th century, police accelerated their attempts to find her, no doubt pushed by the Thai government.
Officials in Thailand had lost face when Lisa disappeared & they were determined to settle the score.
This is the final chapter of her story, where you will hear how Lisa, now aged almost 40, has found love.
Lisa Marie Smith Thailand
And again she is not far from trouble, but it is not of her own doing.
Meanwhile, in the remainder of this podcast series, you will also hear from others whose lives have been derailed by the Bangkok Hilton.
We will bring you the remarkable tale of one man who made an incredible escape from Klong Prem Prison, a feat that no one thought possible; until he did it.
And don’t forget to leave us a voicemail with your thoughts on our website www.escapingbangkok.com.
But first we continue Lisa’s amazing story, one which has many twists and turns. If you haven’t listened to episode one or two yet, we suggest you start there.
Lisa Marie Smith Thailand
And just a reminder, Lisa Marie Smith, now aged 47, has not been found guilty of any charges relating to her time in Thailand.
In fact, the statute of limitations and her arrest warrant are now expired.
It’s 2001 and Thailand again steps up its hunt to find the elusive Lisa, whom they believe is in the British Isles.
According to UK media, Thai officials are planning to have the now-25-year-old extradited from Britain.
In 2002, the UK police also launched a fruitless television advertising campaign to find Lisa. Wow!
That’s not cheap. They were determined to find her.
Lisa Marie Smith Thailand
Hampshire's Sunday Southern Independent wrote Interpol also believed she was living in England.
But this is an absolute red-herring.
Chief of Interpol's international notice branch, Joseph Avary, told The Adelaide Advertiser
`We encourage anybody to look at the facts. Most people get caught and there's maybe some arrangement she can make with the authorities,'' he said.
``If I was her I'd certainly explore the possibility of giving yourself up and doing a deal with the authorities which would allow her to move on with her life. I think there's potential for an arrangement but I can't speak for those authorities.
``If I had the contacts she's got I'd be trying to get it done.I'd get my family and get a lawyer to negotiate.
``I don't want Lisa Marie Smith to run all her life. I want to see her get her problems resolved.''
`Her family has money although there is no indication that I am aware that they are funding her,'' Mr Avary said.
``I don't want to say where we think she's based but she has family and friends in a number of different locations.''
What they don’t know is everyone is looking for Lisa in all the wrong places.
Because someone back in Australia knows exactly where she is, and they make it known in a very unusual manner.